NOT THE BAY TO DO IT: Jason Bay, walking back to the dugout after striking out in the second inning of the Mets’ 8-2 loss, had the chance to win the game for the Amazin’s in the ninth, but grounded out.Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

So wait. Does it make it better or worse that Snooki was at Citi Field last night?

It was fitting, for sure. Besides “Jersey Shore,” what’s more reliable trash TV in a summer setting than a Mets game after the All-Star break?

For the second straight game, the Mets stretched action into overtime, and for the second straight game, they wound up getting destroyed nonetheless. A rain-soaked, 8-2, 10-inning loss to the National League East-leading Nationals last night left Terry Collins’ group at 47-49, 1-9 since the Midsummer Classic and losers of four straight. They trail Washington by 9 1/2 games.

No, it doesn’t seem to be getting any better in Flushing, no matter how much optimism they voice.

“There’s not much you can do,” an impressively calm Collins said, just moments after the game concluded, “except put guys in there where you think they’re going to get people out.”

Said Mets starting pitcher Chris Young, who recovered from a rough first inning: “It seems like we’re one play away, one bounce, one break, but nothing seems to be going our way right now.”

On Sunday, the Dodgers put up a five-run 12th against Mets reliever Ramon Ramirez. Last night, somewhat reliable left-hander Tim Byrdak caught a tough break when, with no one out and Roger Bernadina on first base, shortstop Ruben Tejada couldn’t catch Byrdak’s relay on Sandy Leon’s comebacker. Bernadina spiked Tejada, who will sit out at least tonight’s game.

Pedro Beato entered, and in a blink, the Mets were getting romped, the lowlights being a Bryce Harper bases-loaded single, a bases-clearing double by Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse’s two-run homer.

Once again, Citi Field cleared out, most folks not bothering to stick around for the resolution. Once again, those who stayed, booed, the loyalists dismayed by another Mets season having turned horribly wrong.

These Mets so far are keeping it interesting. They came from behind, erasing the 2-0 lead the Nationals took on Harper’s two-run, first-inning homer off Young. David Wright, in the fourth, and Ike Davis, in the seventh, contributed solo homers while Young recovered from his rough beginning.

Yet the Mets couldn’t do anything else off the Nationals’ pitching. Most memorably, Jason Bay failed twice with a teammate on second base and two outs. Bay struck out against lefty reliever Michael Gonzalez to wrap up the seventh, and his groundout to third in the ninth, with Zimmerman making a nice spin move for the out, sent the contest into extra innings.

He won’t be benched yet, Collins said afterward, noting how much time Bay has missed with disabled-list stays. At the least, however, the time is coming shortly for Bay to turn into a strict platoon player, with starts against only left-handers.

But really, there’s so much wrong with this team right now that it’s pointless to single out any one player. That’s why, while it was nice that Collins gave incoming rookie Matt Harvey a pep talk upon Harvey’s arrival Monday, it probably wasn’t necessary. Harvey is no fool.

“Don’t approach this that you’re the savior, (that) you’re going to turn this thing around because you’re in the rotation now,” is the message that Collins and Mets general manager gave to Harvey, according to Collins. “There’s a lot of things we’ve got to fix. Our starting rotation is only one part of it.”

Harvey will make his major-league debut Thursday night in Arizona; the Mets wanted Harvey to get his feet wet on the road. Given what’s going on with this team, that’s probably a good idea. Then again, given the Mets’ downward spiral, Harvey will take the mound Thursday with no pennant pressure whatsoever.

As the team falls to pieces, Collins must somehow find a balance between keeping in sync with his players and not smothering them.

“I’m on top of that stuff every day,” the manager said. “I don’t have to hold team meetings to make sure I get to some key people.”

Probably not, yet the bigger problem is that there’s nothing Collins can do to turn this team back around. Rerun season is upon us, and we know all too well what’s going on with this Mets team.